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Best Animation Movies of the 1940s, Ranked by IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDB
182 animation films from the 1940s are in our catalog; the 50 best are ranked below. Top of the list is The Cat Concerto (1947), at 8.2 on IMDb. The average IMDb score across this list is 7.8. Biggest split between audiences and critics: Pinocchio, 7.4 on IMDb against 99 on Metacritic.
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| # | Movie | Genre | IMDb | Tomato | Meta | TMDB | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cat Concerto '1947 | Animation / Comedy / Musical | 8.2 | - | - | 7.6 | Joseph Barbera |
| 2 | Fantasia '1940 | Animation / Fantasy | 7.7 | 95% | 96 | 7.4 | Wilfred Jackson |
| 3 | Long-Haired Hare '1949 | Animation / Comedy | 8.1 | - | - | 7.2 | Chuck Jones |
| 4 | Heavenly Puss '1949 | Animation / Comedy / Drama | 8.2 | - | - | 7.5 | Joseph Barbera |
| 5 | Hair-Raising Hare '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 8.0 | - | - | 7.2 | Chuck Jones |
| 6 | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow '1949 | Animation / Horror / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.4 | Jack Kinney |
| 7 | Scaredy Cat '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.6 | Chuck Jones |
| 8 | Solid Serenade '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 8.1 | - | - | 7.5 | William Hanna |
| 9 | Fast and Furry-ous '1949 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.1 | Chuck Jones |
| 10 | Haredevil Hare '1948 | Animation / Comedy / Sci-Fi | 7.8 | - | - | 7.2 | Chuck Jones |
| 11 | The Truce Hurts '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.5 | Joseph Barbera |
| 12 | Peter and the Wolf '1946 | Animation | 7.7 | - | - | 6.8 | Clyde Geronimi |
| 13 | High Diving Hare '1949 | Animation / Comedy / Western | 7.9 | - | - | 7.4 | Friz Freleng |
| 14 | The Night Before Christmas '1941 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.4 | Joseph Barbera |
| 15 | Mickey and the Beanstalk '1947 | Animation / Fantasy | 7.6 | - | - | 6.8 | Bill Roberts |
| 16 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse '1947 | Animation / Comedy / Fantasy | 7.8 | - | - | 7.3 | William Hanna |
| 17 | Pinocchio '1940 | Animation / Fantasy | 7.4 | 100% | 99 | 7.1 | Hamilton Luske |
| 18 | Buccaneer Bunny '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.8 | - | - | 7.2 | Friz Freleng |
| 19 | Old Rockin' Chair Tom '1948 | Comedy / Animation | 7.8 | - | - | 6.8 | Joseph Barbera |
| 20 | Mouse Trouble '1944 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.3 | William Hanna |
| 21 | The Great Piggy Bank Robbery '1946 | Animation / Comedy / Mystery | 7.7 | - | - | 7.0 | Robert Clampett |
| 22 | Baseball Bugs '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 6.9 | Friz Freleng |
| 23 | Kitty Foiled '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.1 | William Hanna |
| 24 | Trap Happy '1946 | Comedy / Animation | 7.9 | - | - | 7.5 | William Hanna |
| 25 | Rhapsody Rabbit '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 7.8 | - | - | 7.3 | Friz Freleng |
| 26 | Bugs Bunny Rides Again '1948 | Animation / Comedy / Western | 7.8 | - | - | 6.7 | Friz Freleng |
| 27 | Donald's Snow Fight '1942 | Animation / Comedy | 7.9 | - | - | 7.2 | Jack King |
| 28 | The Foghorn Leghorn '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.6 | - | - | 7.0 | Robert McKimson |
| 29 | The Little Orphan '1949 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.0 | William Hanna |
| 30 | Quiet Please! '1945 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.3 | William Hanna |
| 31 | Mouse in Manhattan '1945 | Animation / Comedy | 7.8 | - | - | 7.3 | William Hanna |
| 32 | Cat Fishin' '1947 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.4 | Joseph Barbera |
| 33 | Mouse Cleaning '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 6.9 | William Hanna |
| 34 | Rabbit Hood '1949 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 6.8 | Chuck Jones |
| 35 | Professor Tom '1948 | Animation / Comedy | 7.6 | - | - | 6.7 | William Hanna |
| 36 | Tee for Two '1945 | Animation / Comedy | 7.8 | - | - | 7.3 | William Hanna |
| 37 | A Mouse in the House '1947 | Comedy / Animation | 7.7 | - | - | 7.1 | Joseph Barbera |
| 38 | The Milky Waif '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.2 | William Hanna |
| 39 | Salt Water Tabby '1947 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.1 | William Hanna |
| 40 | Red Hot Riding Hood '1943 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.3 | Tex Avery |
| 41 | The Midnight Snack '1941 | Comedy / Animation | 7.7 | - | - | 7.4 | William Hanna |
| 42 | Bambi '1942 | Animation / Drama | 7.3 | 91% | 91 | 7.0 | David Hand |
| 43 | The Mouse Comes to Dinner '1945 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.1 | William Hanna |
| 44 | The Invisible Mouse '1947 | Animation / Comedy | 7.6 | - | - | 7.2 | William Hanna |
| 45 | Bad Luck Blackie '1949 | Animation / Comedy | 7.6 | - | - | 7.1 | Tex Avery |
| 46 | Tortoise Beats Hare '1941 | Animation / Comedy | 7.7 | - | - | 7.1 | Tex Avery |
| 47 | Springtime for Thomas '1946 | Comedy / Animation | 7.6 | - | - | 7.2 | William Hanna |
| 48 | Der Fuehrer's Face '1943 | Animation / Comedy / Musical | 7.5 | - | - | 7.0 | Jack Kinney |
| 49 | King-Size Canary '1947 | Animation / Comedy | 7.5 | - | - | 7.0 | Tex Avery |
| 50 | Northwest Hounded Police '1946 | Animation / Comedy | 7.6 | - | - | 7.0 | Tex Avery |
Our catalog covers roughly the 8,800 most-rated films on TMDB, so lesser-known titles may be missing. Order uses a confidence-weighted IMDb score so a perfect score from a handful of votes does not beat a well-established classic; the scores shown are the raw ones.
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Directors on this list
Joseph Barbera Wilfred Jackson Chuck Jones Jack Kinney William Hanna Clyde Geronimi Friz Freleng Bill Roberts Hamilton Luske Robert Clampett Jack King Tex Avery
Actors on this list
William Hanna Walt Disney Mel Blanc Billy Bletcher Bing Crosby Pinto Colvig Sterling Holloway Frank Graham Clarence Nash Lillian Randolph Sara Berner Bea Benaderet